Cheap groceries in Romania: 7 ways to pay less for the same food

Cheap groceries don’t have to mean different groceries. Most of the time you can pay less for exactly the same products if you know where and how to look. Here are seven habits that really matter, from the shelf label to the whole basket.

1. Look at the price per kilo, not just the label price

Besides the selling price, the shelf label shows the unit price: per kilo, per litre or per item. It’s mandatory in the European Union precisely so you can compare.

A made-up example, just to show the sum: a 750 g pack at 9 lei is 12 lei per kilo, and a 1 kg pack at 11 lei is 11 lei per kilo. The bigger pack costs more at the checkout but less per kilo.

2. Watch out for packs that have shrunk

Sometimes a product keeps its price but the pack holds fewer grams. The price per kilo shows you straight away whether it actually got dearer.

3. Try the stores’ own brands

Many chains sell products under their own brand, usually cheaper than the well-known brands. Compare them by the price per kilo or per litre too: they aren’t always the cheapest.

4. The same product can cost less in another store

The same product, with the same barcode, can have different prices in two stores a few kilometres apart. The shelf only shows you the price where you’re standing. I show you, by its barcode, what it costs in several stores.

Step by step: how to compare a product’s price by scanning its barcode.

5. Compare the whole basket, not one product

One store can be cheaper for dairy and dearer for water. When you compare the whole basket, you see whether it’s worth buying a few products elsewhere and how much you save that way.

How to do it in two minutes: the cheapest supermarket in Romania depends on your basket.

6. Offers: check they really are offers

“Buy one get one free” or “third one free” only saves money if you’d use the product anyway and it won’t go off first. Work out the price per item or per kilo with the offer and compare it with the regular price, including in another store.

7. Make your list before you go

A list keeps you away from impulse buys, and with it you can compare prices at home before you pick a store.

One thing to keep in mind

Right now I compare the Iași stores of Carrefour, Auchan, Mega Image, Kaufland, Selgros, Cobyul and dm. I collect the prices automatically (scraping) from the stores’ public data, their websites and data feeds, and bring them together in one place. They can differ from what you see in the store, and the final price is always the one at the checkout.

What’s next

Want every way to compare prices? Read price comparison in Romania: 4 ways.